Etched in Pain When the curtain of night falls around me, sometimes I can identify with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As the pain begins to ramp up in my various places of inflammation, I can almost feel the expression on my face begin to change. Any peace I may have felt earlier in the … Continue reading Sharing: Praying for Peace
Tag: Chronic Joy Ministry
Sharing: The Comfort of Christ
Isaiah 40:1 NIV When the glorious sunshine fell across my face, I felt the comfort of Christ flowing over me. And when the excruciating head pains began to lift, again I felt the comfort of God so near. I longed to share that comfort with my loved ones, so I sent them notes of praise … Continue reading Sharing: The Comfort of Christ
Never Alone
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash Our hearts were as heavy as the oppressive heat that was baking our car. Add in the 6 year old and 18 month old who kept asking for a break from the constant driving, and we were desperate for a place to get out and stretch our legs on … Continue reading Never Alone
Sharing: Praise in the Midst of Our Pain
Have you ever looked outside and breathed-in the fresh air of God’s touch and suddenly felt praise rising up from someplace unknown inside of you? Have you seen beauty that takes away that same breath and felt another kind of praise overwhelming the dark places of your pain? There is something to be said for … Continue reading Sharing: Praise in the Midst of Our Pain
Sharing: Allegory for Worry And Concern
Matthew 6:28-29 NIV This summer has proven to be a time when worry was close on my heals, more times than I wanted to admit. I began this spring hoping to be in such a place of surrender, laying down my fears and asking God to carry me through the many treatments meted out for … Continue reading Sharing: Allegory for Worry And Concern
Sharing: A Place of Quiet Prayer
The headlines shouted across the glaring screen, and my heart dropped lower than I thought it could go. It seemed that for a moment I felt the weight and the sadness of the world crashing upon me. But in the next moment I heard a whisper, stronger than the weight, deeper than the sadness: “Then, … Continue reading Sharing: A Place of Quiet Prayer
Praying: Fear Turned To Trust
We hear so many words telling us to just “trust God more.” But is it really that easy? When the foundations of our lives have spun off-kilter, what then? How can trust be considered from a place of such upset? The Cambridge-English Dictionary gives us the definition for the word “trust” as: “to believe that … Continue reading Praying: Fear Turned To Trust
Sharing: Let Christ Turn Bitterness Into Compassion
The memes and the quips scrolled by me faster than I could keep up. It seemed that everyone had something to say about self-isolation, quarantine, lock-down and the restrictions that were suddenly, with very little warning, thrust upon us. And I hit the "like" button more times than I could count ... Finally the rest … Continue reading Sharing: Let Christ Turn Bitterness Into Compassion
Praying: Our Savior Teaches Us How to Pray
Praying When we truly face the shape of our hearts, we can be overwhelmed by the lack that we feel. Sinful, weak, and weary are thoughts that easily come to mind as we carry such weights from our days. But we have a Father who loved us so deeply that He sent His Son to … Continue reading Praying: Our Savior Teaches Us How to Pray
He is Always on Time
my crown-of-thorns plant "Thorns" I see the thorn-bush set in my path And I ponder the way ahead Can I make my way cleanly around Or must I offer my arms to be torn in the passing? I look for tools to cut away the brambles And I find them waiting for my use Can … Continue reading He is Always on Time